


Black Star Academy

by xshinanix



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Background Relationships, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, High School, Light-Hearted, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-15 09:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16930557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xshinanix/pseuds/xshinanix
Summary: Black Star Academy. A prestigious school located in West City that houses and educates only the top students from all over the world. With children of some of greatest fighters in the universe attending such an establishment, what kinds of shenanigans can they get themselves into?





	1. Night Before

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!! I first want to say thank you so, so, so much for clicking onto my story even though it has a really dumb description right now. Description have...never been my strong suit, so I apologize!  
> I just wanna preface this story by saying that I have very little experience writing some of these characters, so I apologize majorly if they don't seem quite right or are out of character a bit. Hopefully as this fic progresses I get better at capturing their personalities!  
> I also hope you don't mind some changes to some of the characters' ages in relation to each other. For the most part, it's just Pan and Bulla being a few years older than what they should be. ^^'  
> Anyways, I'll stop rambling now! I hope you enjoy the first chapter!! <3

It had been years since Mai had begun living at Capsule Corp. It had been years since his future self had come and gone. The man that Trunks had admired at the young age was someone who he was slowly, but surely growing into. His personality had become more docile with age. He learned to swallow down the excessive pride he had inherited from his father in order to be viewed as a reasonable young man. Though he was still beyond stubborn. It was a tragic flaw in his personality, frustrating the girl he had fallen for beyond belief.

Even though he had grown to be more fitting of the image of himself that was planted into his head, he was still somewhat off. His hair was still the lavender shade, but he maintained the same style. He thought of himself as much bolder, his tongue quick with wit within a conversation. He spoke his mind more, sometimes being absolutely careless with his words. Another trait he had to give his father credit for. Vegeta had raised his son to be just as arrogant as he was, always telling him that a proper heir had a countless amount of pride in himself.

Or, as Trunks had translated into more colloquial terms, if he was any son of Vegeta’s, he had to be an asshole.

It had seemed like for the past few years Trunks was striving to make his father proud. To be the image Vegeta had in mind for the young man. He trained constantly both on his own and with his father in order to reach the level that was expected of him. It seemed his summer was filled with all sorts of training.

It was, however, weird that Mai wasn’t around the building for the summer. She had signed up for some sort of cross-cultural summer program that their school was offering. She had applied to study art in the Eastern hemisphere, having been accepted into a small, girls only academy that would house her for the two and a half months of summer. Trunks had thought about applying as well, figuring it would be a good time to get closer to Mai with his family out of the way.

But there was a small kink in his plan. Soccer conditioning had been scheduled to start early. And there was no way Trunks was going to miss it. What kind of team captain would he be if he went to a foreign part of the world instead of doing something beneficial to the team? He couldn’t risk losing his leadership position especially since his father showed pride when Trunks informed him of the coach’s decision.

It also didn’t help that the closest business program open to hosting him was several hundred miles away from her academy. Though the distance didn’t bother him much, the school had a very strict policy of students remaining on campus unless escorted by an official.

So, Trunks spent the summer before his senior year doing something he had been doing his entire life: training. Even now, the day before the start of the school year, he was spending his hours in the gravity chamber with Vegeta. The intense pressure the chamber placed onto their bodies forced both of them to be ascended; the golden glow breaking the monochromatic red tint the machine’s lights casted once in used. The training wasn’t so bad for once. Simple sparring for the most part. Between spars, Trunks would kick around a soccer ball as best as he could, trying to make the best out of the situation.

Right before they began another one of their spars, the computer on the control panel lit up, the face of his mother with the kitchen in the background greeting the both of them as their eyes snapped to the new lights.

“Wow. Don’t you boys look worked up?” Bulma smiled and tilted her head. “Dinner’s almost ready. I hope you two are in the mood for chicken and rice because there’s quite a lot, and I don’t want it to go to waste!”

Trunks grinned back at his mother, nodding his head. “We’ll-”

“We’ll be out in a minute, woman.” Vegeta’s voice overpowered Trunks’, making his son give him a questioning look.

But before he could think too hard about it, he noticed a grey sketchbook on the table. He tilted his head to the side as he, for a moment, wondered if his mother had suddenly taken up drawing as a hobby. It wasn’t until he saw the body of another step into the background of the frame that he realized whose it was.

There had been very little change to her appearance over the summer, though he couldn’t really see the woman’s face. Maybe her skin was a few shades tanner and her hair a bit lighter from the sun. She was wearing black jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a denim jacket tied around her waist. It had been an outfit he hadn’t seen on her before, making him question if her fashion sense had changed while she was away.

Regardless, before he could really drink in her image, Bulma seemed to huff at her husband’s tone, crossing her arms. “Well, don’t be too long. It’s gonna get cold.” She spoke in a sharp tone, turning off her screen.

Vegeta let out a sigh and walked to the control panel, turning off the intense gravity. As the lights went back to normal, Trunks lost his balance as the gravity switched back to Earth’s, descending back down to his normal form. No matter how many times he was in the chamber, the sudden switch always caught him off guard.

“You go on ahead. Tell your mother I’ll be another minute.” Vegeta spoke and glanced back at his son. Trunks merely nodded in response and exited the chamber, closing the door behind him. As he walked, he heard the humming of the machine start up again. He knew his mother wouldn’t be happy with Vegeta staying to train more, but there wasn’t really anything Trunks could do about it.

As he made the walk across the estate to the residential building, he began to think of questions he could ask Mai regarding her trip. Did she enjoy it? What was the school like? What kinds of people did she meet? Would she ever go back? Did she like the food there?

Did she like it more than she liked it here?

He shook that question out of his head as he opened the door to his home. He took his shoes off and placed them on the mat by the door. He took a moment to look at himself in a mirror that was in the living room. He looked like a mess, but that wasn’t new when it came to his appearance after training. The blue shirt he wore was almost completely soaked in sweat, a few of his hairs sticking to his forehead due to the sticky layer. He wanted to go upstairs to his room for a quick shower and was actually about to turn to do just that until his mother walked out of the kitchen.

“Ah! There you are! Where’s your father?” Bulma spoke and crossed her arms, leaning her weight to one side.

“Oh, um, he said he was staying in the chamber for a little longer…” Trunks spoke and glanced towards the staircase that lead upstairs, clearing his throat. “I was about to head upstairs for a quick shower before dinner.”

Bulma studied her son’s expression for a moment before grinning and chuckling. “Trying to impress her, eh?”

Trunks blinked and felt his face heat up, holding up his hands in surrender. “Ah! No, it’s not like that! I just don’t think it would be pleasant if I showed up to dinner like this!”

Bulma hummed and nodded her head. “Whatever you say, son.” She looked at the door and took a breath. “You go on upstairs. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes, so I’ll go drag Vegeta’s ass to the house.”

The two parted ways, Trunks heading upstairs and Bulma leaving out the door. As Trunks was passing the entrance to the dining room, he caught a glimpse of Mai at the table. Her sketchbook was opened about halfway through and she seemed to be absentmindedly doodling something on the page. She had her cheek in her hand, her head being supported by her elbow on the table. Trunks had stopped in his tracks for a moment to gaze upon her, scanning his eyes from her face to her feet.

But when Mai shifted herself, Trunks was broken from his stare, going as fast as he could up the stairs so she wouldn’t catch him looking at her. Once inside his room, he quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and a black Capsule Corp. t-shirt to put on. He was in the shower only long enough to wash his body, getting out and drying off as best he could. Before exiting his room, however, he grabbed a bottle of a new cologne Marron had helped him pick up, giving his clothes a few spritzes before heading out.

When he walked into the dining room, he found that his mother and father weren’t back yet, trying his hardest not to think of why it would take so long. He saw that Mai was setting the table, the food having already been placed in the center. When she heard him walk in, she perked up and shifted her eyes to him, a small grin on her face. “Oh! Hey!”

Trunks felt his heart swell when she grinned and spoke to him. It had been a few months since he last saw her, so hearing her voice was like music. “Hi…” He managed out, clearing his throat. “Do you need help?”

Mai gave him a weird look when he spoke at first, her grin disappearing from her face. She took a breath and shook her head. “Nope. Everything’s already set.” She said as she put down the last fork in its place.

Trunks cursed himself when she spoke, internally yelling about how stupid he was. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, in pranced his little sister, her black Mary Janes clicking against the hardwood floor of the dining room. The little girl gasped when she sat Mai, stopping dead in her tracks as a smile crept onto her face. “Mai!”

Mai’s eyes switched to the girl, returning the smile with one of her own. “Bulla!” She exclaimed in the same tone, leaning down with her arms outstretched as the little girl nearly attacked her in a hug. “God, you’ve gotten so big!”

“Uh-huh! I’m nine now!” Bulla let go off Mai after their quick embrace, taking a step back with her hands clasped behind her back. She held her head up high with pride as if she were looking for praise, swaying her body.

“Dang, you’re almost all grown up!” Mai commented and stood up, clasping her hands behind her back. “Soon, you’ll be as big as me!”

Just as Bulla was about to speak once more, their parents walked in. Bulma was smiling from ear to ear, having a hold on Vegeta’s arm as they entered. “Oh! Mai, you set the table? Thank you so much!”

“It wasn’t a problem, Mrs. Briefs.” Mai spoke and bowed her head.

“Well, since we’re all here, shall we dig in?” Bulma slipped her hand away from Vegeta’s arms, clasping them together. “There’s plenty to go around, so eat as much as you want!’

* * *

Goten was laid out on the bed of his room, scrolling through his social media as he waited on his mother to finish up dinner. He had spent a considerable amount of time within West City, setting up his dorm room at Black Star Academy for the semester. Since he lived across the world, he was required by the school to at least have a dorm room. But, for the most part, he typically stayed at Capsule Corp. with Trunks, only really going to his dorm between classes or when he needed clothes.

“Oh, hello, Krillin! 18!” Goten heard his mother’s muffled voice through the walls, causing him to perk up for a moment. “Oh, Marron! Look at you! Is that a new dress?”

Goten shifted his attention back to his phone, clicking onto a girl’s profile as he began to mentally construct a message to send her. He had spent his summer trying to get a girlfriend or, at least, make progress on getting one. He had one girl he was talking to for a little while, but once she found out that his brother worked for their school, she was no longer interested.

As he was typing out the message to send, he heard a knock on his door. Without him saying anything, Chi-Chi opened the door, clearing her throat. “Goten! Stop being antisocial and come out to the living room!” She spoke in a stern tone, her face matching. “This is your last meal at home for a while, and I’d actually like to see you for it.”

Goten sighed as he hit send on the message and locked his phone. “Alright. I’ll be out in a second.” He responded.

As Chi-Chi left, Marron came up behind her, standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. “Hey, Goten!” She chimed and twirled a strand of her blonde hair in her finger. “Have you gotten your schedule for school yet?”

Goten stood up from his bed and shoved his phone into his pocket before looking at Marron. Her blonde hair, for once, was out of the two pigtails she had been wearing since he could remember. She wore a pastel pink dress with a brown belt around her midriff, a darker pink cardigan covering her arms. She wore this with a pair of matching pastel wedge sandals. Her attire made him feel underdressed, having only bothered to put on a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt.

“No, not yet. I’m supposed to get it tomorrow morning.” He answered and put his hands into his pockets. “Though Gohan may pull some strings and get me it tonight when I arrive.”

“Really? That’s so nice that he’s willing to do things like that for you.” Marron hummed and closed her eyes, folding her hands in front of her. “I hope we have some classes together this year!”

Goten blinked as he looked at her, furrowing his brows. “Doubt it. You’re a lot smarter than me, so…” He shrugged and moved passed her to get to the living room. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw that she had followed him.

“Well, don’t say that! We might have one class together! I’m not too good at math!” She spoke and stopped with him in the living room. “And I did skip a grade, so I’m not entirely caught up on classes yet!”

Goten hummed in thought and turned to her, a hand on his chin. “Maybe…Though we won’t know until I get my schedule.”

“Ah, of course!” Marron giggled and looked down. “We can always at least hang around campus if we don’t.”

“Marron!” 18 had called from the kitchen for the girl, taking a step into the living room to see her daughter. “Come help us set the table.” She said and took a glance at Goten, a slight glare in her eyes.

“Right away, ma’am!” Marron said and nodded at Goten, giving him a small wave as she exited the living room to help with the table. As Marron left, 18 kept an eye on Goten, the cold glare of the android burning through his soul. When she turned to go back into the kitchen, Goten released his breath, not having realized he was holding it until he wasn’t under analytical eyes.

As Goten fell back onto the couch and took out his phone again, the front door was thrown open. He glanced up to see his niece running into the house as full of energy as she always was. She gave a very quick wave to Goten as she ran for the kitchen, more than likely going to see the status of dinner.

“Pan, be careful! Don’t run!” Videl chimed as she walked into the home after her, furrowing her brows as she sighed and looked to her husband behind her. “What are we going to do with her?”

Gohan closed the door behind him and ran a hand through his hand, laughing just a bit. “Ah, she’s just a kid. She’ll grow out of it...eventually.”

“God, I hope.” Videl said and grabbed ahold of her husband’s arm, glancing over to Goten with a small grin. “Oh, hello, Goten! Are you all moved into the dorms?”

“Mostly.” Goten answered and looked back at his phone, checking to see if the girl had looked at his message. “I just have stuff I’m bringing over tonight, and I’ll be done.”

“That’s good.” Videl replied with a nod. “Well, I hope the school year goes well for you!”

“Thanks. Me, too.” It was rather clear he wasn’t really interested in the conversation, leaning forward as he boredly scrolled through the girl’s pictures. _God, I hope she answers me…_

Chi-Chi walked into the room while wiping her hands on a towel, a smile on her face. “Oh, Gohan! I’m so glad you and your family could make it!” She hummed and nodded towards the dining area. “Dinner’s just about done, so go on and have a seat while I get your father.”

At some point when Goten was looking at his phone, Gohan and Videl had exited the living room into the dining room, and Chi-Chi had left out the front door to gather up Goku. He looked up and around the room before standing up, putting his phone into his pocket. He stretched and made his way into the dining room, sitting down at the table as he pulled out his phone once more.

The adults around him chattered and conversed with one another. Goten quickly sent a message to Trunks regarding his newest pursuit with a picture from the girl’s profile attached. As he patiently waited for his best friend to respond, a notification popped up on the top of the screen from the girl.

‘ _No thanks_ ’ was simply all the girl had responded with, making Goten lock his phone and rest his forehead against the table top.

“Are you okay, Goten?” Marron asked from her spot next to him.

He turned his head to glance at her, seeing the worried look at her face. “I’m just...peachy.” He responded and sat up, unlocking his phone and sending a text to Trunks about the wrench in his plan. “Just...great.”

There was obvious irritation in his tone, causing Marron to reach out and place a hand on his arm. “Ah, well, I’m sure things will end up better for you.”

“Marron.” 18’s voice was a soft and harsh whisper, her daughter instantly removing her hand from Goten when she spoke. He gave a confused look at Marron when she moved away, but one look at her mother told him everything he needed to know.

He never really understood 18’s detest for him. She seemed perfectly fine with him as a child, but as the two of them grew up, she seemed to almost...hate him. Though he was glad the feelings never seemed to rub off on Marron. The girl was a close friend of his, and he didn’t know how he would cope if she were to hate him as well.

It didn’t take long for Goku and Chi-Chi to join them in the dining room. Chi-Chi had a smile on her face, laughing as she walked in. He figured Goku must have said something funny or maybe something ridiculous enough that made her laugh. Knowing his father, both were possibilities.

“Looks great, Chi-Chi!” Goku commented as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. “It must have taken you forever.”

Chi-Chi smiled up at her husband. “Why, thank you, Goku, but it was truly no trouble at all. I just wanted a nice meal before Goten has to go off to the Academy.”

Goten sunk back into his chair when he was mentioned, tapping his fingers against the table. As much as going to school with Trunks entertained and thrilled him, he hated the night before he had to leave. His mother had always been sappy around this time even though she knew he would mostly be around the Briefs family.

Goku chuckled and released Chi-Chi, grinning. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s dig in!”


	2. First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai and Trunks are off to Black Star for the first day of their senior year. Marron has company during lunchtime.

Mai had woken up rather early, wanting to not be rushed when she got ready for the first day of school. Though now that she was looking at the clock on the wall in the living room, she began to wonder if it wasn’t the right thing to do. She had almost an hour before the first bell, and the academy was merely a ten minute walk from Capsule Corp. 

One thing she truly enjoyed about the private school was the fact that they wore uniforms. It had eliminated the morning dilemma of trying to pick out something to wear or even the task of doing it the night before.

Every student wore the same red-lined black blazer with a white dress shirt and a red tie. On the left side of the blazer was the wyvern emblem for the school, ‘Black Star’ printed in some fancy text beneath. Girls had a choice between either slacks or a skirt of the same dark grey color. With the skirt, however, students were required to wear either black stockings or leggings of. Regardless of their choice, students wore dark brown shoes that were to be shined and never dirty.

Mai straightened the fabric of her skirt as she shifted on the couch, picking her messenger bag off the floor and setting it in her lap. She dug for a few seconds before pulling out her sketchbook and a pencil, deciding to kill time by finishing up a few sketches. As she worked, however, she heard the heavy footsteps of someone lazily walking down the stairs. From her years living here, she didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“You’re up late.” She spoke as she gently sketched a few strands of hair, deciding she didn’t like it before carefully erasing what she could. “You don’t have much time.”

She heard him chuckle from behind her, feeling him lean against the back of the couch. “Unlike you, I don’t take fifty years to get ready.” His voice had the husky edge that it always had when he first woke up, making her perk up a bit at the sound. “Whatcha workin’ on?”

“Nothing of your concern.” She spoke and closed the pad, turning her body to face him. He looked dead tired to her. His hair was much more of a mess than it typically was when he first woke. There were dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he had gotten little to no sleep last night. “...Did you stay up all night finishing your summer assignments?”

“...No.” The corner of his mouth twitched upwards a bit. It was a sign she had learned to mean he was lying. “I didn’t that, um, a couple weeks ago.”

“Sure ya did, bud.” Mai commented and put her sketchpad back, standing up as she placed her hands on her hips. “Go get ready. I’ll put on some coffee so you’re not a zombie in class.”

There was a soft grin on his face when she got done speaking, causing her to crease her brows as she watched him go back upstairs. She let out a breath as she went into the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee. As the coffee brewed, she grabbed a tumbler from the cabinet.

While she absentmindedly watched the coffee drip, she heard the patter of bare feet on the kitchen floor followed by a loud yawn. Mai looked over her shoulder to see Bulma walking in, a baby pink, silk robe wrapped around her figure. The woman’s hair was a mess just like her son’s, but she looked nowhere near as tired as he did. In fact, she looked to be in a rather good mood this morning, a faint smile on her lips as she tilted her head at Mai. “Coffee?”

“Trunks stayed up late to finish his school work.” Mai responded and turned when she heard the pot beep as it finished. She poured the coffee into the tumbler, leaving it black so that Trunks could make it to his liking. As she did this, Bulma shifted around, setting down a coffee mug on the counter. Mai poured her a cup before putting the pot back. 

From the corner of her, she saw the edge of a dark mark on the woman’s collarbone. It wasn’t too noticeable from afar, but up close it was undeniable. Mai shifted her eyes away as Bulma fixed her coffee up with cream and sugar, a faint blush dusting her features as she shook her head to get the images out of her head.

“So, are you excited to start your senior year?” Bulma asked as she sat down at the table, blowing on her drink before taking a small sip.

“Er, I guess.” Mai spoke and turned, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the counter. “I mean, I’m excited for it to be over already.”

Bulma laughed and tilted her head, leaning her head in her hand with her elbow against the table. “It hasn’t even started yet and you have senioritis?”

“Not as bad as Trunks, but yeah.” Mai grinned softly.

“What’s not as bad as me?” Trunks spoke as he walked into the kitchen, adjusting the cufflinks of his shirt. Mai had to stifle a laugh at his half-dressed appearance, his tie messily down and his blazer open.

Bulma sighed and stood up, walking over to fuss over and fix her son’s attire. “Nothing, dear.” She spoke as she adjusted his tie. Mai found tell by the look on his face that he was embarrassed by her actions, his cheeks flushed.

“Mother…” His voice was soft and hissy, his eyes shifting from her to Mai and back to her. “I can do it myself.”

“Then you should have done it before you came down.” Bulma insisted, buttoning up his blazer for him. “There we go. Now you look like you’re ready.” She took a step back and crossed her arms, admiring her handiwork. “What do you say?”

“Thanks.” Trunks sighed and walked over to the counter, putting the lid on the tumbler without adding anything. “Ready to go?” He asked as he looked over to Mai, one of his brows raised.

“I’ve been ready.” Mai spoke and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing her bag still on the couch. When she turned, she saw Trunks by the door, his black bag slung over his shoulder. As she walked to the door, Trunks gave a wave to his mother. They both said goodbye before exiting the building and leaving the property.

She was glad the walk to school wasn’t very long. Their walk was silent, the only sound being the cars that would pass them and the sounds of a person or two on the phone while they commuted to work. When they were about halfway, Trunks spoke, “Are you running for class president this year?”

Mai blinked and turned her head to look at him, a questioning expression on her face. She took a breath and looked forward, adjusting her bag’s strap on her shoulder. “I’ve thought of it. Why?”

“Just curious.” He answered. Another few seconds of silence. “I have soccer practice after school, so don’t wait for me to go home.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Mai answered back almost immediately, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

“You know, you could at least pretend like you like me.” 

At first, she believed him to be upset, but the small smirk on his face told her otherwise. She huffed out a breath and shook her head as she looked forward. “Never in a million years.”

As they rounded the corner, the front of the academy came into view. The central hub area was filled with students both new and returning. Cliques gathered in circles throughout the square and gossiped over what summer drama they had heard. Around the large, decorative fountain sat the jocks of every sport imaginable. Their uniforms were often unkempt and messily thrown on. The buttons of their dress shirts undone or their ties loose.

Before Mai could even process the freshmen faces, one of the other seniors waved over to Trunks, beckoning him to join them. Mai glanced at Trunks’ face, seeing the small grin spread across his face. She was curious as to why he didn’t instantly go to join them, but when she saw his blue eyes glance at her, she understood completely. 

With a sigh, she spoke, “Go.” As soon as the words left her lips, his head turned to her, a brow raised as if to ask if she was sure. When she narrowed her eyes, he instantly looked away, giving a small, discreet wave to her before going to join his friends.

Looking up at the clock tower above the main building, she saw that it was about ten minutes before the bell was to ring for the first class. She took a breath and walked over to a nearby bench, taking a seat as she pulled a piece of folded paper from the pocket of her blazer. Gently unfolding it, she glanced over the daily schedule, mostly just looking at what teachers she had. While scanning, her eyes stopped at a familiar.

Son Gohan was her advanced literature teacher. She knew he had come to work for the academy, but most new teachers started off teaching in the lower level classes. Perhaps it was the fact he was related to Mr. Satan that had gotten him such a high status. Or maybe it was the well-received book he had written a few years back. 

Regardless, his presence on campus didn’t come as a shock to her. Most teachers at the academy were experts in their field, giving it a more university than high school vibe. The academy was always hungry for the best, and Gohan just so happened to be the current best in his field.

* * *

It was lunch break. An hour long period where no classes were scheduled and the main cafeteria was opened for all students regardless of whether they lived on campus or not. Marron, on the other hand, much preferred the food at a little cafe down the street.

It was a relatively unknown place that went by the name Dragon’z Delightz. It was small, only having a handful of tables and a couple of outdoor chairs warmer weather. It had a pleasantly dim interior, just bright enough for her to see the menu written on the chalkboard. Not to mention it was one of the few places around town that would give student discounts to Black Star attendees, meaning she could stretch the amount of money she had for the week easily.

She typically went alone. But as she walked through the campus, she heard a voice call her name. She stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder to see Mai waving as jogged to the blonde. Once she had caught up, she placed her hands on her knees, panting. “I’ve been looking for you all day!”

“Oh?” Marron blinked and tilted her head. “I’m sorry. If I’d known you wanted me, I would have looked for you!”

“Don’t apologize.” Mai breathed out and stood up straight, her breathing ragged. “Where you off to?”

“Oh! Just to get some food.” She gave a sheepish smile. “Would you like to join me?”

“Certainly, but the cafeteria’s the other way, Marron.”

“I’m not going to the cafeteria. There’s a cute little place a couple blocks away I like to go to…” Marron furrowed her brows.

“...Cute?” Mai spoke and breathed out, finally seeming to have calmed her breathing. “Let’s go then.”

The pair walked together towards the cafe, joking and laughing amongst themselves. It seemed it took little time to get to their destination. Walking inside, the warmth of the building was the first thing to hit her. Despite the place being almost always empty when she came in, it had a genial atmosphere.

“Wow! It smells amazing in here!” Mai exclaimed, a warm grin on her features as she looked around. “You’re right. It is rather cute.”

Marron couldn’t help but frown just a bit at her first statement, but quickly turned it upside down with a smile. “Mhm! I think it’s a lovely place.”

As they spoke, a barista came out from the backroom, cleaning his hands on a towel. “Hello, ladies! What can I get for you?”

Marron reached into the pocket of her blazer, pulling out her student ID as she walked to the counter. “I’ll take an iced large cinnamon dolce latte, a turkey sandwich, and…” She turned and looked at Mai, a slight tilt in her head.

“Oh! I’ll just have small black coffee.” Mai had been caught off guard, patting at her pockets for her wallet. “Shit, I must have left my wallet at home…”

“I got it. Don’t worry.” Marron gave a smile and handed over her ID as well as the money to pay. When she got her ID back, she tucked it away.

The two girls stepped aside as they waited even though Marron known little to no one would come in after them. They stood for a few seconds in silence before Mai spoke up.

“So, I had Gohan teach me this morning.”

“Oh?” Marron perked up, giving a puzzled look. “I thought he wasn’t going to work here since he’d be away from family?”

“Apparently he changed his mind.” Mai crossed her arms and hummed. “He rambled on and on about himself and his accomplishments. I nearly fell asleep. Hell, he barely even remembered the school required us to do an assignment for his class.”

“Really? Maybe it was because he didn’t give the assignment himself?” Just as Marron spoke, the barista placed both of their drinks onto the counter along with her sandwich. She murmured a quiet ‘thank you’ before the two of them headed out of the shop, putting the wrapped sandwich in her bag for later.

“Perhaps. Honestly, it would have been hilarious if he didn’t take it up. Trunks had stayed up all night trying to finish it.”

“Does that boy ever finish assignments before the night before?” 

The question was rhetorical the more Marron thought about, a grin forming on her lips as the two girls looked at each other and spoke in unison, “Nope.”

Laughter erupted from the two once they spoke. Marron may not have known Trunks as well as Mai did, but she knew enough to know the boy was a professional when it came to procrastination.

“Anyways, back to the Gohan thing.” Mai took a sip of her coffee, humming before continuing. “Do you think Goten’s going to move out of the dorms and live with Gohan?”

“Well, I guess it depends on where Gohan’s living or what his apartment’s like.” Marron took a sip of her own drink. “If it’s nice and has an extra bedroom, then maybe? But, knowing Goten, it could be a no either way. He might want space away from his family.”

“Probably. Even if he were to move in, I doubt he’d actually stay there. He barely stays in his dorm.” Marron gave a confused look, her expression questioning what Mai had meant. “It seems like he’s mostly at our house. Bulma doesn’t seem to mind, but I can barely handle Trunks alone. Get those two together and, well...it’s a pain, to say the least.”

“Oh gosh. I’m so sorry.” Marron frowned out of sympathy. Her mood, however, shifted when an idea popped into her head. “If you want, I can try to keep him away from Capsule Corp.”

Mai stifled a laugh, a faint grin on her face. “Can you keep Trunks away, too?”

Marron frowned and furrowed her brows. “I don’t think I can do that...He kinda lives there.”

“I know, but a girl can dream.” Mai hadn’t seemed to notice the shift in Marron’s expression, continuing to walk. “But good luck on keeping Goten away. The only times he’s not at our house is when he has baseball practice or when he’s trying to get some.”

Marron’s eyes widened when Mai spoke, her mouth slightly agape. “I knew he was trying to get someone to date him, but I didn’t know that…”

Mai snapped her attention to Marron, a brow raised in question. “Seriously? You didn’t know that’s what he’s been trying to do?” She couldn’t help but smile a little. “Oh, sweet Marron, stay innocent forever.”

Marron didn’t know whether to take offense to that statement or not. Was it better to be seen as innocent or not so innocent? It was a question she had pondered over the years but hadn’t decided on a definitive answer.

Before she could respond, however, the clock on campus rang. Marron hadn’t even realized they had stepped foot on the grounds until the bell rang, furrowing her brows.

“Damn. Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?” Mai grinned and gave a small wave to Marron. “Well, I gotta head to class! See ya around, Marron!”

Marron watched as Mai headed towards the science buildings, a slight frown on her features as she sighed. “I’m not that innocent…”


End file.
